The fleet renewal of Croatia’s national carrier, Croatia Airlines, continues with the arrival of another next-generation aircraft. The airline has taken delivery of its eighth Airbus A220 aircraft, which is named after the Croatian city of Pula.
The aircraft is registered 9A-CAQ and represents the second A220-100 variant in the airline’s fleet. It arrived in Zagreb on a nonstop delivery flight from Montreal, where the aircraft was manufactured, following several weeks of test flights and technical checks that began on February 12.
The aircraft was officially handed over to Croatia Airlines a day earlier and joins the fleet under a lease arrangement. Its arrival forms part of the airline’s ongoing fleet modernisation programme, one of the most important development projects currently underway at the Croatian flag carrier.
With this delivery, Croatia Airlines has completed the introduction of the A220-100 variant into its fleet. The airline will operate two aircraft of this type, while the majority of the new fleet will consist of the larger A220-300 variant.
This year, Croatia Airlines expects the arrival of six additional Airbus A220 aircraft, bringing the total number of A220s in the fleet to 14. The fleet will then comprise twelve A220-300 aircraft and two A220-100s.
The airline’s transition to a single aircraft type fleet is expected to be completed next year, once the remaining A220-300 aircraft are delivered. This will mark the completion of one of the largest fleet transformation programmes in the airline’s history, aimed at improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and modernising the passenger experience.
